Request to Join Hagerstown Protest Against Detention Center on March 28, 2026

I am writing to ask you to join constituents in Hagerstown on March 28, 2026, for a protest against the immigration detention center planned for Washington County. Your presence would demonstrate solidarity with Maryland residents opposing this facility and send a clear message that our elected officials stand with their communities against mass detention operations. In January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security spent $102.4 million to purchase an empty warehouse outside Hagerstown to convert into a processing center designed to hold 1,500 people. The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved this deal without consulting the local community, bypassing the democratic process that should govern decisions of this magnitude. This facility represents a significant expansion of detention and deportation operations that will have lasting consequences for our state. The concerns about this detention center are substantial and well-documented. Local resources including water and medical services will face severe strain from a facility of this size. The project threatens historical preservation in the area and poses documented risks of human rights violations inherent in mass detention facilities. Rather than benefiting Washington County's economy, this center will harm local businesses and damage the community's reputation. A broad coalition of Maryland residents and organizations has formed to oppose this facility, including Washington County Indivisible, Doctors for Camp Closure, Hagerstown Rapid Response, Frederick Rapid Response, and many others. We are pursuing multiple strategies including legal remedies, advocacy for state legislation such as HB 630, HB 1017, and HB 1018, and peaceful public demonstrations. Your attendance at the March 28th protest would amplify constituent voices and demonstrate that Maryland's elected officials will not stand by while our communities are transformed into detention centers without consent. I urge you to join us in Hagerstown and publicly commit to using your legislative power to halt this project.